{ it's a dark day when a mom pats herself on the back for being a bully }

You know, if I ever get asked to write something for the Huffington Post? The last thing that I would even have on my topic list is "Hey! I'm a bully! And proud!"

Primarily, because I'm not.

But Allena Tapia did exactly that. Wrote this piece about how she, an alleged adult and mother, is pretty damn hung up on being one of the "cool kids" and sitting at the "popular table" and something about Lindsay Lohan. 

Quite frankly, when LiLo is your real world guiding light, it's time for some soul-searching. 

(I cast another side eye at Parentlode columnist Lisa Belkin, whose introduction to Tapia's piece ends with this gem:

"Whether you choose to muster sympathy for her, however, will likely depend on exactly which clique you ran with in high school."

Because obviously, women don't grow up or mature or move on. Alrighty, then.)

I don't "muster sympathy" for Tapia, though. Not because of my popularity, past or present, real or perceived.

But because I'm not particularly sympathetic towards bad behavior and poor character.

Especially when the person in question is in her 30s. And responsible for other human lives.

When Tapia boasts about her behavior (and that of her gang of "Plastics") in a PTO meeting, in which

I giggled through agenda items with a table full of my friends from the old group, compared notes in stage whispers, and texted friends across the room. 

My gut reaction was pretty much "Really? This is how adults behave in meetings?" Clearly, it's far better to be rude and disruptive than pay attention and possibly learn something.


My second reaction was "Wow. Way to set women back a few decades. People like me work hard to be taken seriously, both personally and professionally, and this kind of behavior ruins it for all of us. Thanks heaps."

What's worse? Tapia is a mother. If this is what she considers appropriate behavior, one can only wonder what she models for her children. Kids learn what they live. And if mommy spends her time acting out, abandoning manners and behaving like a boor, well... It's certainly not the way I would go with my child.

Tapia excuses herself by saying she hasn't gone as far as "some of those other mothers." I assume she means people like Wanda Holloway or Lori Drew or one of "those." Neat. That makes it a-ok.


Then she tries to give advice for breaking into Cliques Like Hers (Just Do It! Even though I've spent the past few paragraphs making it quite clear that I'm going to interrupt you at meetings and text about you and gossip about your knock-off purse! We'll welcome you with open arms!!!!!!) and promises to mend her ways and not be quite so Mean Girl.

Just don't ask me to give up my seat at the popular table. 

 And that pretty much says it all. Priorities, you know.


The shame of it is that parents should be as involved with their children and their schools as possible. It helps with communication and relationships. It keeps parents abreast of all the behind-the-scenes stuff that their kids may not necessarily divulge. It might help promote more open dialogues. I'm all for it.


But with people like Tapia at the helm, the whole point of PTO and similar groups gets lost. It's not about stroking fragile egos and validating insecurities. It's about the kids and the schools and doing the best you can for your children.


End of story.


I hope that Allena Tapia takes the advice she so graciously dispenses to herself, to be more welcoming of "outsiders" and maybe more inclusive. It would be a good thing. A sign of maturity and self-confidence. Hopefully, she'll stop being rude at meetings, too. In the name of professionalism and proper etiquette.


I recognize that not everyone meshes or clicks. That different personalities don't always jive well. That naturally, groups of friends will form and bond together. It's ok. But despite that, it costs nothing to be kind, to be polite, to be respectful. You can be nice without being BFFs. It's not so difficult to do, if you just give it a try.


Hopefully, enough people, particularly moms, reading Tapia's self-congratulatory piece will have the good common sense to say "This isn't how it should be" and take a stand against the cliques and the bullying behavior. Hopefully, when I get to the PTO level, I'll be fortunate enough to find a kind and child-centric group of people who are open to newcomers and their ideas and help, even if this particular newcomers is just a lowly stay-at-home-mom who likes to be involved.


And I hope Tapia uses her platform for good. To make some changes and turn the emphasis back to the focus of the group and not which Queen Bee is leading the hive. That doesn't involve anyone asking her to leave the cool table. It just involves being a decent human being.


Which is what we should all be striving for anyway, right?

To help take a stand against mom bullies, online and off, join The Mom Pledge and make a difference.

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{ i spoke too soon }

So, yesterday, I was all "Oh, yeah, so Turtle is pretty reasonable and we have this North Pole Pug to kind of give him a gentle reminder that he needs to make good choices and he totally digs it and life is rainbows and puppy dogs Yay."

And then we had a great day and I went to class and came home and Turtle was in the throes of night terrors, and I spent the night in bed with him and two pugs, all fighting for the exact spot in which I was trying to sleep. Not that it mattered, because I didn't get any shut eye worth mentioning, so I probably should have just moved to the floor and let the three of them fight over territory without me.

And come morning, Turtle was in what I can only call a Vile Mood. 


Capitalized.

There was whining. And crying. And attitude. The full trifecta.

We had lots of sit downs about making good choices and using our words, accompanied by a few time outs to regroup. But it just went on and on and on.

He didn't want to watch TV. He didn't want to play with blocks. He didn't want to draw or color or write his pen pal letter or do stickers or race cars or build train tracks.

He didn't want to (and what I'm about to write is like a knife in my heart) help make cookies. 


Gasp.

I must have counted to ten 600 times. I think I stole a moment to cuddle a wine bottle in the laundry room, in anticipation of bedtime. I almost cried more than twice. Partly because I was hurt by some of his words, and partly because I was so frustrated in myself for not being able to snap him out of his funk. 


And for not having infinite patience.


And, while I'm being honest, for wanting to lock myself in the bathroom with a jar of Nutella and a spoon.


The mantra that played out in my head was simple. "He's three, he's three, he's three." 


But that doesn't make it easier to stay cool and collected to ride out the seemingly irrational wave.


Logically, I know he was overtired and therefore sensitive and more quickly aggravated. And I know sometimes, rarely, we hit a point of no return, where we just basically have to chalk the day up to a loss and start again tomorrow.


And it was just one of those days.


They happen. It's inevitable.


We had a few bright spots. Like when I found him waking up from nap, curled up in bed, with his pillowcase pulled up over his feet to his waist, like some kind of sleeping potato sack racer. And when he snuggled up to watch How The Grinch Stole Christmas with me. Those were beautiful despite all the chaos, and I cherish those moments.


Especially on a day like today.


At bedtime, I wasn't angry and he was no longer in the Vile Mood. We sat together on his bed and talked. He went to sleep quickly and calmly, and with what I hope was a positive spin on all the negatives of the day. We let him know how much we loved him and that we all have bad days from time to time. But that we can all make better choices and can be more considerate of our family and friends and we hope he does so tomorrow.


And then I went and collapsed on the couch with a bowl of chili, a glass of pinot noir and an episode of Glee. Because sometimes, a bunch of people breaking into random song and dance makes it all ok.


I hate not having all the answers. It stings that Turtle and I don't always get it right. I'm kind of an anal-retentive perfectionist and I don't like not "getting it." Days like this are upsetting and humbling and terrible, but I have to keep reminding myself that tomorrow is another day, and we'll get another go at it.

This post is dedicated to Holly, who told me she would rather read about our no-good, rotten, horrible, terrible day than my impending excitement over the month of December.

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{ pug on the shelf }

I guess it was only a matter of time before I caved.

I wrote about how much the Elf On A Shelf scared me here.

The actual Elf. 

Not the concept.

The concept is actually not an awful one, in my opinion.

It's just a visual reminder to encourage good behavior at a busy and intense time of the year.

Turtle's a good kid. For the most part, very reasonable. When he acts out, there's usually a good reason behind it and it doesn't take long to get to the bottom of it. 

However, he feeds on the energy around him. And it seems he knows that since Halloween, Mommy and Daddy have been running at top speeds. There are parties and visits and get togethers. Constant outings and errands and events. It's crazy and hectic and just a little more fast-paced than our normal.

It throws us all for a loop.

And it leads to some extra cases of acting out. 

After some soul-searching and discussion, MacGyver and I decided that maybe a visual reminder for being extra nice during all the chaos wouldn't be a bad thing.

But that Elf was not getting in my house. 

I had joked about perhaps a Pug on the Shelf. And we do have a bobble head pug wearing jingle bells and reindeer antlers that looks a bit on the festive side...


And so a plan was born.

I dug around online and found a sample letter here that I adjusted to our needs. It reads something like this....

Dear Turtle,

Merry Christmas! Mrs. Claus and I have sent you a very special North Pole Pug. He will be there to watch your progress from now until Christmas Eve. Your Pug will report back to me when you are especially nice and when you are not so nice. Below are some lists of Especially Nice and Not So Nice things. Try to do all of the Especially Nice things and None of the Not So Nice things.

Don’t forget to give this Puggy a name so he feels welcome in your family. Once he has a name, please do not touch him, as it will interfere with his magic.

Especially Nice                      

Help Mommy & Daddy                           

Clean up toys                                     

Listening to Mommy & Daddy                   

Playing nicely                                      

Sharing with others                              

Trying new foods                                 

Not So Nice

Whining

Yelling

Not using listening ears

Yelling and using mean words

Hitting and kicking

Throwing things

Love, Santa Claus

We took out all mentions of the word "naughty." We want this to be fun and positive.

We printed that out, signed it with some "Ho! Ho! Ho!"s and folded it into an envelope. When Turtle woke up from his nap, we set the scene and rang the doorbell.

Turtle wasn't entirely sure why there was a bobblehead at his front door. 

Please note, the preschooler squat in full effect.

Finally, he worked up the courage to open the envelope.

He's not entirely convinced.

We read the letter together, and he started to get a little excited.

And then we put the North Pole Pug on a shelf, and let the fun begin!

Every night, the North Pole Pug moves to another part of the downstairs and Turtle has a good time looking for him. The Pug hasn't been a threat or a punishment - just a gentle visual reminder that maybe, if his behavior is getting unpleasant, that he might want to reconsider his actions.


I'm debating some antics, like a marshmallow snowman or something like that (thank you, Pinterest), but we'll see.


For now, we've got a new friend hanging out with us, and he's fitting in with our crew just fine. 


(And he's nowhere near as scary as the Elf).

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{ our thanksgiving day }

We spent our Thanksgiving Day with some very special guests: Grandma and Pop Pop.

Turtle was ecstatic to get hardcore quality time with his grandparents and we were thrilled to see so much love in the air.

Our day started early - MacGyver picked up some munchkins and bagels for breakfast and I fired up the oven. We tuned the TV to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the work began.

MacGyver brought the most beautiful flowers (and I'm really proud of this pictures since I took it on full manual with no autofocus - thank you, photography class).

Turtle snuggled up to Grandma during the preparations.

I put together a little menu for the place settings. It looks cute with the silverware.

We planned appetizers and cocktails for about 12:30. Kind of a very light lunch before the main event.

MacGyver handled the bar: dirty martinis for him and Grandma, a Manhattan for Pop Pop and a Bubbletini for the cook.

We served them up with an assortment of cheeses, olives, hummus, bruschetta and pepperoni.

I took a moment to decompress before getting back to the turkey and trimmings.

And finally, we were ready to go.

Somebody was all ready to dig in!

Mmmmm. Turkeyyyyy....

We had to get one shot of Turtle with his grandparents before the feast.

Great fall salad - spinach with goat cheese, dried cranberries, cashews and blush wine vinaigrette. Yum.

After the meal, everyone had to take a little break, including Turtle.

And after naps and a few rounds of Chutes & Ladders, it was time for dessert. Also known as "the best part."

It was a wonderful day, full of family and fun.

How did you spend your Thanksgiving Day?

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{ happy thanksgiving }

From our house to yours. 

May you and your families and friends have a beautiful and love-filled day.

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{ thankful turkey. the things pinterest makes me do }

I'm pretty sure that everyone on Pinterest has a love/hate relationship.

We all love the influx of amazingly creative ideas. And we all hate that there aren't enough hours of the day/money in the bank to take on every project.

If you're me, you worry about how many times in a week you can challenge the hot glue gun and walk away unsinged. 

Things like that.

And then, oh dreadful day, you see things like this Ribbon Turkey Shirt.

lovefromtexas.com

Things that are too stinking adorable for words, but that really don't have a place in your life.

Because I just don't think Turtle would be down with so many ribbons.

But it got in my head, that ribbon turkey.

And then, I was watching NickJr, and saw Joe, of Blue's Clues fame, prancing about with a turkey-shaped book of all the things he was thankful for, and inspiration struck!

A Thankful Turkey Book!

With a Ribbon Turkey Cover!

Boom.

I used a foam turkey I had handy as a template and cut two full turkey bodies out of cardstock for the front and back covers, and then five footless versions for the pages. 

I sat with Turtle and we got to work, naming things for which he was thankful.

He started with "colors" and "letters." Which are, as you know, very important in daily life.

He helped me with illustrations.

He had very specific directions for some of the pictures we made.

He gets that from me. :)

While he handled the inner pages, I cut out some felt and ribbons for the cover. 

I glued down a big piece of yellow felt, attached my ribbon "feathers" and then added the turkey body/neck of brown felt. I topped the whole thing off with button eyes, a red ribbon "gobbler" and a yellow felt beak.

I bound it by punching two holes through the far right side and tying ribbon loops through each hole. Super cute. And a great way to use up some leftover ribbon scraps, too.

And just for fun, some of the Turtle's thankful things...

He is also thankful for school (and his teacher), letters, colors and a cat. Hey. I was just writing the stuff down. I don't know what cat he's grateful for, but he is.

I thought it would be nice to sit and go through the pictures when Grandma and Pop Pop visit for Thanksgiving. Perhaps a nice tradition to do every year. 

But at least I got that ribbon turkey in!

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{ thanksgiving, the three pugs way }

I know, I know. It's a week away.

But I am all ready to get cracking. We'll do our big, pre-Thanksgiving shopping-fest this weekend and then, I'll be up bright and early on Thursday morning, to get the bird in the oven.


And to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.


Before noon, it's floats, balloons and marching bands. After that, it's the gridiron. It's how Thanksgiving works, yo.


I thought I might take the opportunity of the one-week mark to share our menu and some favorite recipes. Everyone has the dishes that are near and dear to their hearts, and it's always nice to see what others are making.

Appetizers

We generally serve the turkey at about 4pm on Thanksgiving. Too early for lunch before, too late for dinner after. And I certainly don't want anything too heavy so our diners can't enjoy the rest of the meal.


We used to put out a big spread of stuffed shells and meatballs, stuffed mushrooms and other forms of deliciousness. So good, but way too much.


So, we cut back to antipas.

Sharp cheddar and green apples, green and black olives, hummus and flatbread. Light and easy and great for grazing. We can leave this out for a while and just pick as needed.


Of course, don't forget a signature cocktail. My in-laws love Manhattans, so that's what we did here. I have no idea how MacGyver made these. Except it involved some liquor and maraschino cherries.

Salad

I like a small salad before a nice dinner. I have two different varieties I like to include. I always pre-plate this course and have it waiting on the table when everyone sits down.

• Spinach Salad: Toss spinach leaves with sliced strawberries, crumbled bacon, crumbled bleu cheese or gorgonzola and chopped walnuts with your favorite raspberry vinaigrette.
• Apple Salad with Cider Vinaigrette: Arrange your favorite baby greens on a plate with thinly sliced granny smith and macintosh apples. Sprinkle with crushed walnuts and drizzle with cider vinaigrette (whisk together 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 3 tbsp minced shallots, 2 tsp Dijon mustard, 2 tsp honey, and 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil).

Main Course - Turkey

Turkey is a personal thing. People have all different tried and true methods, so you really have to decide what works for you and yours.

We generally make two turkeys: one roasted traditionally in the oven. One fried. Oh, baby.

Roasted Turkey: I'm a butter, wine and herb girl. I stuff the cavity of the bird with peeled and roughly chopped red onion, garlic, celery, lemon, lime, green apple, and fresh herbs (sage, rosemary & thyme).  I open up a space between the skin of the breast and the meat, and massage a mixture of butter and garlic all beneath the skin. I then slide in fresh sprigs of rosemary, thyme and sage, and rub the outside of the skin with the same butter & garlic mixture. I then pour some white wine over the whole shebang and sprinkle the outside of the bird with paprika for color. I baste every 30 minutes with a blend of melted butter and white wine, roasting at 325 according to package instructions (Go here for basic rules of proper temperatures and technicalities.) The end result is something like this. 

Oh, beauty.

I use the drippings in the roasting pan to make a bourbon gravy. I simply heat the pan on the stove burner, salt & pepper, add flour, some chicken broth and bourbon, and mix til smooth. Finish with a drizzle of cream for added richness. 

Fried Turkey Breast: This technically falls outside of my domain. MacGyver takes a small (5ish lb) breast, cleans it, pats it dry, seasons it lightly with some pepper and salt, and tosses it in our deep fryer outside. It doesn't take very long to cook, and the frying seals in all the yummy turkey flavor. It's a fan favorite. 

Main Course - The Trimmings

This year, I think we will be having the following sides with our turkey.

Traditional Stuffing: I prefer to use the Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing bread crumbs as opposed to day-old bread. It makes it less mushy. I saute celery and onions in butter, per the instructions on the bag, and replace the called-for amount of chicken broth with 2/3 broth and 1/3 white wine. I bake the whole thing in a greased casserole dish to get a nice crunchy topping. Mmmm. Crunchy topping.

Cranberry Sauce: Some people love the ridges from the can. I love the real deal. Bring 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water to a boil and then dump in 24oz of fresh cranberries. Boil for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, as the skins start to pop. Allow to cool enough to handle and then run through a food mill. Pour into containers, cover and chill in the fridge. If you like whole berry sauce, you can skip the food mill, entirely.

Brussels Sprouts: This will be our green veggie this year. Quarter fresh brussels sprouts and saute with some minced garlic and butter until the cut sides are golden brown. Add salt and pepper and some crumbled bacon. Serve with shaved parmesan cheese.

Whipped Sweet Potatoes: I normally make a divine sweet potato souffle, but it is rich. And heavy. And kind of time-consuming. And rich. So this year, I'm just going to whip up some sweets with butter and milk and maybe a touch of cinnamon and vanilla. We've been skipping the white potato. You know. To save room for dessert. 

Rolls & Butter

Dessert

AKA. The best part. 

Typically, we have pumpkin pie, apple pie and butter spritz cookies. 

This year, I'm switching it up. 

• Ooey Gooey Pumpkin Cakes in single-serving sizes
• Individual apple tarts or my Nana's apple pie. Or maybe cherry pie. 
• Chocolate cupcakes with buttercream. Turtle is a bit silly about pies, and he loves cupcakes. It's only fair to have something for him.

And there you have it. To be honest, I could make do with just the stuffing, gravy and cranberries (and dessert), but the people demand their turkey, so I give them what they want. 

What is your favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal? Besides sharing with family and friends, of course. Any special recipes you care to share with us? We'd love to hear them!

Ok, ok. Here's the sweet potato souffle recipe. It's really, really good. 

Combine 3 cups cooked, peeled sweet potatoes, 1 cup sugar, 3 eggs, slightly beaten, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 stick butter and 1 tsp vanilla and pour into buttered baking dish.  Top with 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 stick butter, 1/2 cup self-rising flour and 1 cup chopped pecans, mixed & blended by hand. Bake in 350 degree oven until topping is light brown, 15-20 minutes.

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{ jump start on holiday shopping with red envelope }

I waver between proactive and procrastinate when it comes to holiday shopping.

I get it in my head that I'm going to get everything done early. And I do make a go of it. But then new toys come out. Or Turtle changes his mind. Or I try to wait for a sale. Or I forget that I've already bought things.

I'm probably not alone.

Also? I love online shopping.

The mere mention of Black Friday is enough to make me break into hives. The thought of shopping while jostling in a sea of people, hunting for spots in the overflowing parking lots... it's just not worth any potential savings. Not for me.

It's so much nicer to click a few buttons, enter my shipping information and wait patiently for my goodies to be turn up on my front porch.

This year, I did get a bit of a jump start, thanks to Red Envelope, which has always been one of my favorite sites for unique and special gifts.

There were definitely some must-haves for Turtle. It took forever to decide, but I finally selected this adorable, personalized Dear Santa t-shirt.

Seriously. How cute is this going to look for Santa and candy cane pictures? 

The answer is "so very cute."

I was quite taken with all the cute t-shirts, and all the child-friendly wall art, too.

Additionally, I did purchase two more gifts for the grandparents, but I can't post links to them here. Because I know for a fact that at least one grandparent reads here (hi, Mom!) and I don't want to spoil the surprise.

What I CAN say is that Red Envelope, once again, delivered. Literally. Within four days of ordering, two packages showed up at my front door. One with the surprise gifts and one with the t-shirt, which had been personalized. That's amazing turn around, especially for something name-specific. 

If you're like me, preferring the convenience of online shopping to the holiday rush, check out Red Envelope. Even if you procrastinate, you're in luck, with their super-fast shipping times.

Disclaimer: this is a sponsored post. In exchange for my review, I was compensated in the form of a gift card to Red Envelope in order to blog about my shopping experience. This review reflects my own, personal, unbiased opinion.

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{ back to school. for me }

Last night, I returned to a classroom for the first time since 1998. 

I've always been a bit of what might be called "a nerd." At one point, there were even thick glasses. 

But, as long as it wasn't something horrible like statistics or physics, I loved sliding into my desk in front of the chalkboard, opening a college-ruled notebook, and taking copious notes in blue ballpoint. Medium tip, of course.

I love learning. Mostly useless things like art and anthropology and things that have no importance in the real world.


Unless I ever got into the Cash Cab.


Dare to dream.


I registered for an Intermediate Digital Photography class at UNF. 


I love my Rebel. I love taking pictures. And I'm not awful at it. But I also don't know exactly what the hell I'm doing. Or why I'm doing/not doing it. I don't shoot automatic, but I could benefit from actual knowledge from a real photographer.


Plus, I really like school supplies. I look for any excuse to buy a new notebook.

I thought this would be a great way to learn some technical skills. What metering is for. How to use ISO and f-stops and aperture all together in harmony. 


That kind of thing.


And I was right.


Nervous. But right.


Last night, I drove to the campus and found my way to the classroom. I was intimidated for sure. I've never been great with new situations. And I have this bizarre parking hangup, which I blame on years living in Miami, where there is valet for everything from Publix to fancy restaurants to the movie theater to the Dollar Store.

Fortunately, thanks in part to great directions, I secured a close parking spot and found the room. 


I'd like to add that classrooms have come a long way in the last 10 years. Very high-tech and such. Call my nostalgic, but I miss chalkboards and those weird half-desk things.


Moving on. Before I really embarrass myself.


The class is great. The instructor is very nice and very patient. Great personality and very friendly. He seems to teach all levels of the class and the Photoshop Editing class, and I think I'll be signing up for Advanced and editing pretty soon. 


Additionally, he hosts some "field trips" - a few hours at a local location or a weekend away for hands-on training. That is right up my alley! I would love to be able to work with someone to find out exactly what I'm doing right or wrong on the spot.


Tonight, I walked with all kinds of great handouts and my first homework assignment in years. 


I'm only slightly excited to get working on it.


And I'm looking forward to next week's subject matter.


It's taken me a long time (three years) to work up the nerve to register for a continuing education class, and I can see how it might become a habit. It's nice to exercise the cerebral cortex a little and I'm always in favor of expanding my horizons.


Wish me luck with the rest of the course!

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{ time to start thinking about holiday cards. time for shutterfly. }

We are at the halfway mark in November, which means, it's time to start looking at holiday cards!


Once again, we are trusting Shutterfly with our holiday cards. Prior to Turtle, we really didn't do photo greetings, but once he came and we wanted to share more pictures of him with family and friends, I really can't imagine going anywhere else.


The quality has always been amazing - our cards are printed brightly and beautifully on heavy cardstock. And it doesn't stop at cards, either. The same great quality carries over to other products, like calendars, prints and photobooks.


The few experiences I've had with customer service representatives have been positive and stress-free. 


You can't beat the prices. 


Oh. And the best part? There are so many gorgeous Christmas and holiday card designs in so many different styles, it's hard to pick just one favorite.


We have some beautiful family photos we would love to include in our card, so we are looking for just the right style to complement our images.


This Snowflake Pattern Holiday Card has such a simple elegance.

But I'm drawn to the fun colors of this Wonder Trees Holiday Card.

I also like the idea of including more than one photo, so I'm not counting out In Brackets or Bright Polka Dots.

 

It will all come down to a coin toss. Or a spirited game of Rock, Paper, Scissors.


While you're taking care of your holiday cards, don't forget to check out some of Shutterfly's other great products: they have a full line of invitations and thank you cards, as well as great gifts like photobooks, and photo fleece blankets.

Definitely a unique (and toasty warm) way to keep your special memories close to your heart!

I can't wait to place our order for our holiday cards and annual photobooks, this year!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. In exchange for my review, I was compensated with 25 holiday cards from Shutterfly.. The opinion expressed in this review is my own, unbiased opinion.

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